Light My Fire
by Svinorita
Summary: It all started with a mirror and a cry for help...Anger answered her call and before long, he discovered his feelings ran deep for a certain Emotion with dazzling emerald-green eyes and a demanding nature. But as their feelings for one another grow stronger, will her constant desire for attention become too unbearable for Anger? (Brickoli request by RoseEmbers99.)
1. Mirror, Mirror on the Floor

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Before I begin writing this new Brickoli request for RoseEmbers99, I just want to thank her for being so patient (since I received this request a few months ago!) But at the time, I had too many other stories in progress which I wanted to finish before committing myself to a new story :)**

 **RoseEmbers99, I hope from the bottom of my heart that your patience will be rewarded and I will do my best to make this story nice for you!**

 **I hope you enjoy it…even just a little bit :)**

 _ **Story title has been supplied to me by RoseEmbers99.**_

 **Svinorita.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – Mirror, Mirror on the Floor…**

It was an early Saturday morning and inside Riley's Headquarters, all was still and quiet. One by one, the Emotions were just beginning to stir from their slumber, the last traces of sleep still lingering in their minds as they slowly transitioned from a dream state to waking consciousness…

Suddenly the early morning peace was shattered by the sound of loud hammering, followed by an ear-splitting scream resounding throughout Headquarters!

Sadness, who had been on Dream Duty last night, gave a sharp cry of surprise as the noise startled her awake. She jumped instinctively and fell off the sofa, ending up flat on her face on the floor as her weary mind struggled to process what was happening.

The blue Emotion sat up slowly and moaned as she readjusted her glasses. "What was that…?"

Suddenly, another loud noise made her flinch as the sound of porcelain shattering came from the direction of the kitchen accompanied by Fear's shrill shriek of alarm. Apparently the same commotion that had jolted Sadness awake had also startled him and in his panic, Fear must have accidentally dropped the bowl of sugar.

Sadness knew her purple co-worker was naturally an early riser, so he had probably been in the process of making his first cup of tea this morning…

Before Sadness could finish her thought, Joy almost trampled her as she dashed into the main room. Her dress was on back-to-front, indicating that the yellow Emotion had thrown it on hastily and her blue hair hadn't been brushed yet Sadness noted, as it stuck out wildly in all directions like a porcupine's quills.

Sadness watched in bemusement as Joy paused in the middle of the room and looked around with a dazed expression on her face.

Her voice still sounded half-asleep as she uttered in a state of confusion, "Did someone call me…?"

Before Sadness could answer, Anger's furious roar reverberated down the hall as he shouted from his room, **"IN THE NAME OF PEACE IN THE MIND WORLD! DID SOMEONE START A WAR IN HERE?!"**

Sadness, Joy and Fear exchanged nervous looks before gazing apprehensively at the ramp joining the Emotions' sleeping quarters to the main room.

Everyone held their breath as Anger appeared at the top of the ramp, the top of his head already alight with flames. He glared crossly around the room before bellowing, **"AND WHOEVER IT IS WILL BE VERY SORRY BECAUSE WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THEM, THERE WILL BE WAR!"**

Suddenly another ear-piercing scream of agony drifted down the hall. The four Emotions all gasped as they realized with a start that it originated from Disgust's room!

Reacting simultaneously, all four raced towards the cries of distress, the collective concern they felt for their green co-worker overshadowing the feelings of confusion and outrage that had taken precedence just moments ago…

They reached her room just as Disgust's pain-filled voice called out through the closed door, "Help somebody! Are you all deaf?! I'm badly hurt over here!"

Anger took the initiative and nearly knocked the door off its hinges as he barged into the room like a tank, his eyes filled with concern for his green co-worker. The other Emotions followed closely behind whereupon they discovered Disgust sitting on the floor in obvious distress. Her hair was all messy and her green face was streaked with tears as she looked up at them pitifully.

She wasn't wearing any shoes and there was a hammer lying next to her right foot. A large nail could be seen half-protruding from the wall, which now sported an impressive crack at the site where Disgust had tried to hammer it into the wall.

Anger grimaced as he noticed that the big toe on Disgust's right foot had an unnaturally reddish tinge to it in addition to looking very swollen and painful…

"Disgust! What happened in here?!" The red Emotion demanded as he knelt beside his green co-worker and inspected her injured toe carefully.

Disgust grabbed his hand, her voice shaking with panic as she sobbed, "Oh Anger! I can't look! Tell me, is it bad?! Am I going to lose my leg…?"

Anger lifted her right foot as gently as he could and examined her injury thoroughly, before returning his verdict calmly, "Well I wouldn't say so…I mean your toe is pretty swollen…"

A frown appeared on his face and he muttered under his breath, "But then I'm not the doctor around here!"

He turned his attention to Fear, his voice full of sarcasm as he snapped, "Beanpole fancies himself as a bit of a know-it-all medic! So maybe you should ask him?"

Fear flinched from the bite in Anger's voice but nodded meekly as he walked over to Disgust and started assessing her injury. Joy and Sadness also approached their green co-worker and knelt on either side of her, doing their best to comfort and reassure her.

"Oh poor Disgust! That looks like it really hurts…" Sadness lamented. Her deep blue eyes were already welling with tears of sympathy for her injured friend.

Fear eased a cushion under Disgust's foot and told Joy to get an ice pack from the kitchen.

Joy hurried down the hall to fetch the first aid kit and as soon as she returned, Fear instructed her to hold the ice pack against Disgust's injured toe.

Then he smiled reassuringly at the green Emotion and asked her gently, "Now tell us what happened in here Disgust."

Disgust took a shuddering breath and gestured to the nail sticking out of the wall as she began explaining, "Well I wanted to hammer that stupid nail into the wall so I could put up my new mirror…"

She pointed to a small oval mirror which was lying on the floor beside her bed and continued, "I thought it would be a good idea to have a mirror in my room because the rest of you are always complaining that I take too long in the bathroom every morning when I'm applying my makeup…"

Disgust gave a disheartened sigh and avoided meeting their eyes as she said in a small voice, "I can't help it that I like to look pretty when I leave my room every morning!"

Anger glanced at the mirror on the floor and snorted in amusement. "Is that a magic mirror? Like the one from Snow White where you can ask, _'Mirror, mirror on the wall…who's the prettiest of them all'_ and it shows you?!"

Joy rolled her eyes and jabbed the red Emotion in the ribs with her elbow. "Aren't you Mr. Sensitive, Anger?!"

Anger growled and shot Joy an irritated look. He rubbed his side gingerly and mumbled, "I'm only asking because if it means so much to her, I could have told her myself that she is the prettiest girl around here!"

The red Emotion looked at Joy and Sadness apologetically and shrugged. "Sorry girls, but that's just my opinion…"

That comment piqued Disgust's interest immediately and she stopped crying abruptly, her emerald-green eyes searching Anger's face intently. "You really mean that?"

Anger grunted and looked away, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably as he muttered, "I not only think so, but I know so!"

Disgust couldn't hide the little smile of appreciation that appeared on her lips.

"Oh that's nice…" She uttered dreamily.

She shook her head and turned her attention back to her mirror. Her expression was full of resentment and her voice bitter as she informed, "But no! It's not magic! It's just an ordinary stupid mirror and I feel like grabbing that hammer and smashing it to bits right now!"

"Oh no! You shouldn't do that Disgust!" Fear stuttered nervously. "I heard somewhere that breaking a mirror can bring seven years of bad luck!"

Joy was staring at Anger and Disgust with a baffled expression on her face.

 _What's gotten into those two? Did I get up just for this…?_ She thought to herself, one eyebrow raised questioningly as she watched the compassionate interaction playing out between Anger and Disgust.

Disgust was still talking, oblivious to Joy's bewilderment. Her voice was beginning to rise in irritation as she concluded, "Anyway, I was hammering that nail in the wall when this stupid hammer slipped out of my hand and landed on my toe!"

Fear ran one final check of Disgust's foot before offering helpfully, "Well I think it should be alright. It looks like the hammer just nicked the side of your toe a little bit and I can't see any serious damage caused as a result…"

"It shouldn't take too long to heal." He stated with a little smile of encouragement.

Anger shook his head slowly, his voice sounding mystified as he said, "I just don't understand it...why did you dirty your pretty little hands with something that is so obviously a man's job?"

He gazed into her captivating green eyes and gave her a tiny smile as he declared boldly, "All you had to do was ask and I would have been glad to do it for you!"

Without warning, Joy broke out into a violent coughing fit. The other Emotions all turned to stare at their yellow co-worker with concern as she gagged and spluttered spasmodically.

"Joy? Are you okay?" Disgust asked worriedly.

Joy clutched her throat and coughed some more, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she croaked, "Sorry…something just irritated my throat really badly!"

She looked at Fear and wheezed, "Fear, can I borrow some of your honey?"

"Of course you can Joy…" Fear replied with an uneasy expression.

He forced an unsure smile and offered, "I've got a special kind of honey that's good for sore throats. I can go get it for you…"

Fear got up and left the room with Joy following behind him. She stopped at the door and looked back at Sadness questioningly. "Sadness? Are you coming? Riley will be waking up soon and someone should be minding the console in case she needs anything."

Sadness appeared to be lost in her own thoughts and it took her a moment to register Joy's instruction.

"What…? Oh okay…" She replied unenthusiastically.

Throwing a final curious glance over her shoulder at Anger and Disgust, Sadness got to her feet clumsily and followed Joy out of the room.

XXX

Joy dropped her choking act as soon as she, Fear and Sadness reached the kitchen. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure the other two Emotions hadn't followed them before whispering, "Am I imagining it, or did Anger just make a pass at Disgust back there?!"

Sadness shrugged. "I think he was just concerned about her…" She offered naively.

Fear regarded Joy with a thoughtful expression. "I wouldn't call myself an expert on such matters, but I've got a feeling you might be right there Joy…"

Joy shook her head in wonder. A wry grin tugged at the corner of her mouth as she uttered, "What a smooth operator! I never knew Anger could be such a romantic!"

Fear gave a nervous chuckle and nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Anger's a real charmer isn't he…?"

The three Emotions went silent as they listened to the sound of hammering coming from Disgust's room, accompanied by some colorful language from Anger as he went about hanging that mirror for the "object of his desire."

XXX

Ten minutes later, Disgust hobbled into the main room to rejoin the others at the console. She had one hand on Anger's shoulder for support while he held an arm around her waist to stop her from losing her balance and falling over.

Joy, Sadness and Fear could only watch in perplexed silence as Anger led her to the sofa and helped ease his green co-worker onto it gently. As soon as she was seated, Anger propped a cushion behind her back and lifted her injured foot onto a nearby footstool with the utmost care.

"There we go...are you comfy my pretty one?" Anger asked in a sugary voice.

Disgust closed her eyes and gave a huge sigh of contentment. "Very much! Thank you!"

She opened her eyes and batted her long eyelashes at Anger flirtatiously. "Oh Anger…what would I do without you?" She crooned sweetly.

Right on cue, Joy launched into another bout of over-the-top coughing. She covered her mouth with one hand and shot Anger and Disgust an apologetic look before racing out of the room.

Fear had been sipping his tea quietly, but even he began spluttering and gagging after hearing the flirtatious exchange between Anger and Disgust! Without giving them a second glance, Fear promptly followed Joy down the hall before they could question why both he and Joy had suddenly become so prone to breaking out into random coughing fits…

In the confusion, Sadness was left standing alone by the console with a bewildered expression on her face.

"What has gotten into everyone this morning?" She wondered out loud.

She gave a despondent sigh and glanced at Anger and Disgust briefly before turning her attention back to the monitor. She pressed some buttons and pulled a lever, sniffling to herself as a melancholy blue glow spread over the console.

It looks like Riley will be having the blues today…


	2. Once in a Lifetime

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Sorry guys for making you wait a little bit for an update on this story. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about our fiery Romeo and his** _ **equally**_ **fiery Juliet! I'll try not to keep you waiting too long for the next update :)**

 **I hope you all enjoy this little lovefest, because as I mentioned we are dealing with two stubborn and fiery Emotions, and sometimes they appear to me as a bickering married couple! So it's inevitable that there will be fireworks at some point in their relationship. In fact, there are some coming up in the next chapter…**

 **I'd like to thank** _ **RoseEmbers99,**_ _ **Orangebird124**_ **and** _ **Tripledent**_ **for the lovely reviews to the previous chapter :)**

 **And** _ **RoseEmbers99,**_ **since you have given me a few nice title suggestions for this request, I am using another one of your titles as the name of this chapter!**

 **Now let's get to the business of love :)**

 **Svinorita.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2 – Once in a Lifetime.**

Anger and Disgust were looking very comfortable together as they settled down in front of the console this morning. Sadness stayed with them for a while and busied herself at the controls as she helped guide Riley through her morning routine, with only the occasional curious glance over her shoulder at her two co-workers.

But as the morning wore on and Anger continued fussing over Disgust like a princess, Sadness couldn't help getting the impression that she was becoming a bit of a third wheel in the room and that they would appreciate it if she made herself scarce…

Throwing a final sad glance at the monitor, the blue Emotion gave a disconsolate sigh and left the console reluctantly.

"I'll be in my room guys…" She whispered miserably as she shuffled past Anger and Disgust without making eye-contact with either Emotion.

"Yeah, yeah…" Anger mumbled distractedly, never taking his eyes away from Disgust's gorgeous face.

Disgust glanced in Sadness' direction and rolled her eyes impatiently. She didn't bother to comment, but her expression seemed to be saying _"Why are you still here?"_

Anger waited until Sadness had left them and he felt confident that they were finally alone. Then he turned his attention back to Disgust and carefully fluffed the cushion under her injured foot.

"Are you comfortable my pretty one?" He crooned, gently lifting her sore foot back onto the cushion before adding in an affectionate voice, "Can I get you anything?"

Disgust stared back at him gratefully. "I'm feeling much better, thanks to your care Anger…" She replied sweetly.

She tilted her head to the side in contemplation before flashing her red co-worker an irresistible smile and admitting, "Actually now that you mention it, I could go for a glass of lemonade…"

"If it isn't too much trouble that is! I wouldn't want to be a burden to you my generous friend!" Disgust added whilst batting her long green eyelashes at the red Emotion flirtatiously.

Anger grinned like a smitten schoolboy as he felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment. Thank goodness he was red all over! She wouldn't be able see him blushing right now!

"Not at all my dear! One lemonade coming right up!" Anger announced with an exaggerated bow. He turned on his heel and marched off into the kitchen with a love-struck look on his face.

As he busied himself with preparing some lemonade for Disgust, Anger couldn't help marveling at his incredible turn of good fortune. When he had gotten out of bed this morning, he never dreamed that his day would turn out like this!

Boy did he feel great! He felt like he did something very noble when he hung that mirror for Disgust, not just because it meant so much to her, but also because he probably saved her from hurting herself even worse! If he hadn't offered to help, then Disgust might have continued trying to do it herself and she may have ended up having an even bigger accident!

And he felt unbelievably good when he was taking care of her. He didn't know why he had developed such strong feelings for her all of a sudden, but Anger couldn't deny that she had him wrapped around her little finger and that he was falling for her hopelessly.

The red Emotion smiled to himself as he pictured her beautiful face in his mind. He loved the way her green hair sparkled like early morning dew on a freshly-mowed lawn. Or the way she batted those dazzling eyelashes at him when she spoke!

Anger sighed as a warm, fuzzy feeling flowed through his chest. He felt as if he were drowning in those gorgeous emerald-green eyes…

Suddenly something cold and wet splashed across his hand and Anger uttered a startled gasp, shaking his head to clear the fog that had settled over his brain. Looking down, he realized that he had been pouring lemonade the whole time he was fantasizing about Disgust and he had overfilled the glass and spilt it all over the kitchen counter.

 _Grr! Way to go moron! That's definitely going to charm her!_ Anger thought to himself furiously. He shook the sticky lemonade juice off his hand and shoved the carton back into the fridge before grabbing a hand towel and mopping up the spillage grumpily.

Then he drew in some deep breaths and took a moment to calm his volatile temper before placing Disgust's glass of lemonade onto a serving tray and strutting out of the kitchen like a peacock. He balanced the tray on one hand as he swaggered towards his green co-worker with a sleazy grin on his face and an overconfident demeanor.

"Here's your lemonade my lady!" Anger announced as he placed the tray next to Disgust on the sofa.

Disgust started to say, "Why Tha..."

But stopped as her eye fell on a small ceramic bowl sitting beside her glass.

She raised an eyebrow at Anger quizzically. The red Emotion shrugged casually and explained, "Well I thought you might want a snack with your lemonade, so I pinched Fear's fruit salad from the fridge for you!"

Disgust gave a gasp of surprise and glanced around the room nervously. "Anger! That's a bit naughty isn't it?!" She asked with a softly teasing note.

Anger folded his arms over his chest stubbornly and answered with a sly smirk, "Don't worry about it! It's only Beanpole!"

"Just let him try and take it from me!" He growled, rolling up his sleeves like he was getting ready for a fight.

"Well…I guess he wouldn't mind?" Disgust commented with a shrug. "I am injured after all…"

She took a strawberry out of the bowl and popped it in her mouth, closing her eyes as she savored the sweet taste.

Meanwhile, Fear was passing by in the hall when he overheard their comments. The purple Emotion pressed himself against the door and watched silently as Disgust devoured his fruit salad while Anger stood there admiring her like she was a fine piece of art.

Fear smiled and shook his head as he thought, _"Oh you can have it Disgust! It's no big deal! I can always make another one later!"_

Then he switched his focus to Anger and he felt an unsettling sensation in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't understand what had gotten into Anger this morning! Ever since helping Disgust with that mirror, he had started acting like an overzealous love-struck Casanova!

 _Could Anger really be in love?!_ Fear thought in amazement.

The idea of Anger falling head-over-heels for one of his co-workers was a difficult concept for Fear to wrap his mind around...

But the longer he stood there watching them from the shadows, Fear began to realize that perhaps this wasn't such a bad thing…in fact, it might even be a blessing in disguise in regards to _his own_ safety!

 _If Anger is so preoccupied with Disgust, he won't have time to take out his frustrations on me so much!_ _Maybe he won't feel like making fun of me all the time and_ _I can stop looking over my shoulder and anticipating where that next punch is going to come from..._

Fear closed his eyes and gave a deep sigh of relief. Although he never admitted it to anyone, Anger was a major source of his daily anxiety and stress. But now that Anger was giving Disgust his undivided attention, meant Fear could afford to relax ever so slightly knowing that he wouldn't get beaten up every time he went into a panic attack!

So with a final glance at the flirting couple, Fear headed off to his room with a hopeful smile on his face. He didn't know what Joy and Sadness would make of the situation, but personally he will be keeping his fingers crossed that this romance between Anger and Disgust will last!

Back at the console, Disgust had finished off the remainder of the fruit salad. She sat back with a contented smile on her face and regarded Anger with newfound admiration.

"I can't believe it…" She uttered in awe, her eyes roving over Anger's face as he stared back at her fondly.

She shook her head in wonder and said, "Anger, I've known you for like twelve years now and I never realized how charming and thoughtful you really are! It's true what they say…sometimes you fail to notice what's been in front of your eyes the whole time!"

Anger grunted and rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. He averted his gaze to the floor and mumbled, "Well I never noticed what was in front of me either! All these years, I've been admiring articles in _The Mind Reader,_ when the greatest beauty was right here the whole time!"

He gestured towards the green Emotion as he spoke, his voice rising passionately as he stated, "I guess you could say that I was blind all this time, but now I can finally see!"

Disgust was greatly flattered by this. She giggled and gently tapped his hand, indicating that she wanted Anger to sit next to her on the sofa.

Anger didn't need further encouragement. He hopped up beside her and the two of them began talking about their feelings as they watched Riley going about her day through the monitor.

XXX

While this flirt-fest was unfolding downstairs, the other three Emotions were inside Joy's room, speculating about what was going on between Anger and Disgust lately.

"What in the Mind World is happening? I've never seen Anger show so much compassion as he did to Disgust this morning!" Joy exclaimed in awe.

She was sitting on the edge of her bed with her feet dangling inches from Sadness' head, who was sprawled out flat on the floor and wallowing in her misery.

Sadness gave a gloomy sigh and whispered, "I don't know. They didn't even notice I was there…" She started to sniffle as she felt tears welling up in her eyes at the memory of being ignored by her co-workers this morning.

Fear stood beside the other two Emotions and shrugged dismissively. "Maybe this could actually be a good thing guys!"

Joy and Sadness both looked at him skeptically.

Fear took a deep breath and explained as calmly as he could, "Think about it. Anger and Disgust are both very stubborn and forceful, and that can make them unpredictable and inconsiderate towards others sometimes…"

Fear flinched as he recalled how Anger had gotten frustrated the other day when Riley had missed an important shot during a hockey game. Fear had stepped in and tried to diffuse the situation before Anger lost it and made Riley throw a temper tantrum in the rink, and that had earned him a savage punch to guts from his irate co-worker.

Fear touched the nasty bruise on his stomach tentatively with one hand as he continued in a hopeful voice, "But if they are so focused on each other, then maybe they won't even notice we're here!"

Joy and Sadness looked a little unsure. But the longer they thought about it, the more convinced they both became that Fear had a good point. Anger and Disgust were both known to be forceful sometimes; Anger was impulsive and prone to lashing out physically whereas Disgust was very opinionated and sometimes said things that could be hurtful to others without thinking about it.

But if they really were falling in love with one another, then maybe both of them would mellow down slightly and that could be very beneficial for themselves as well as for everyone else…

So in the end, all three Emotions agreed that they would accept Anger and Disgust's relationship and maybe even encourage it a little! With that thought in mind, they decided to go and rejoin the charming couple back at the console. After all, if those two were really so engrossed in one another, who was keeping an eye on Riley right now?!

But just as they were about to leave Joy's room, Fear stopped at the door and gulped nervously as he turned back to Joy and Sadness and whispered, "Let's just hope they don't get into a fight at some point, otherwise we'd all be in for Mind War Three!"

XXX

As soon as Joy, Sadness and Fear arrived in the main room, they heard excited talking coming from the direction of the console. The three Emotions hurried over to see what was going on and were quite surprised by what they found…

Anger and Disgust were leaning over the footstool that had previously been used to support Disgust's wounded foot and they were currently engaged in a serious arm-wrestling match!

Joy held out her arms and signaled Sadness and Fear to stay back as the three of them watched in astonishment. This wasn't something they were used to seeing! Anger could probably snap Disgust's delicate wrist easily if he wanted to but for some strange reason, they couldn't help noticing that _Disgust_ appeared to be winning the match hands down!

What was even more surprising was the fact that Anger didn't seem to notice that he and Disgust had drawn an audience. He was so absorbed in watching Disgust as she pushed against his muscular red arm with her elegant green one, that it was as though the other Emotions were invisible to him!

And apparently Disgust was so focused on beating her red co-worker that she also didn't notice the other Emotions…either that, or she simply didn't care that they were there!

Finally, Disgust managed to pin her opponent's arm to the footstool without hardly breaking a sweat. She whooped in victory, her eyes glinting with pride as she smiled at Anger smugly.

Meanwhile, Anger couldn't hide the fact that he was impressed as he flexed his defeated arm slowly.

"Wow! You're not only beautiful, but also very strong!" He complimented her, his voice soft with affection as he gazed into her vibrant green eyes adoringly.

Disgust laughed and batted her eyelashes at him flirtatiously. "Oh Anger, you charmer! It's not like I didn't know that you were deliberately letting me win!"

Anger shrugged innocently. "Well maybe just a little…"

He chuckled sheepishly and looked away from her intense eyes as he mumbled, "I know that I'm a fiery Emotion, but lately whenever I'm around you, I feel as though a fire has been ignited within me that I never even knew I had!"

Before he realized what was happening, Disgust was leaning close to his face and giggling as she rubbed her little cone-shaped nose against the spot where Anger's non-existent nose should be.

As soon as she pulled away, Anger stared at her in bewilderment, his voice barely audible as he breathed, "What did you do that for?!"

Disgust smiled at him playfully and explained, "Well in some cultures around the world, that gesture would be considered the same as kissing!"

Anger touched the spot where she had rubbed her nose against his face absently, his eyes wide with wonder as he uttered, "Oh…co-could you maybe show me some other forms of kissing sometime…?"

Before Disgust could answer, they were interrupted by a loud "Ahem!" coming from Joy. Both Emotions gave a startled gasp as they whipped around and noticed their audience for the first time.

"Aw! How sweet!" Joy exclaimed as she regarded the two lovebirds with a happy smile. Fear and Sadness nodded silently, their expressions filled with wonder as Joy added chirpily, "Can somebody go fetch my accordion? I think this calls for some music!"

Anger and Disgust were too stunned to react as they stared back at their co-workers with apprehension.

Joy smiled warmly at them and did her best to put their minds at ease. She waved her arms in a calming motion and reassured cheerfully, "Don't worry guys! You don't have to be embarrassed!"

She gestured to Sadness and Fear and assured, "We're not here to make fun of your newfound feelings for one another…in fact we're all happy for you!"

Joy's smile broadened as she saw Anger and Disgust relax slightly. The two Emotions gave relieved sighs and exchanged a brief look of fondness before turning their attentions back to their watching co-workers.

Joy nodded reassuringly and stated, "After all, you're only young once in a lifetime, so you should make the most of this beautiful opportunity and be happy together!"


	3. Change of Heart

**Chapter 3 – Change of Heart.**

For the past week, the atmosphere inside Headquarters has been calm and peaceful. All was well with Riley and Anger and Disgust's relationship seemed to be going from strength to strength! In fact the two Emotions have been spending almost all their time together, holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes adoringly. They even went out of their ways to try to do sweet little things for one another purely to express their devotion to each other.

Likewise Joy, Sadness and Fear were all feeling content with this current state of affairs…

As a matter of fact, they made it very clear that they couldn't be happier with Anger and Disgust's newfound romance!

Fear in particular was thriving in this new stress-free environment. He wasn't as high-strung and jumpy these days since Anger was largely ignoring him and this offered a huge respite from one of the biggest sources of his anxiety! As a result, Fear found himself eating and sleeping better than he had for a very long time and his face was looking noticeably less gaunt and a little fuller. Even the deep bags under his eyes had all but disappeared and his skin shone with a radiant healthy purple glow.

Fear couldn't remember the last time he felt this good! He as well as Joy and Sadness were all keeping their fingers crossed that the situation between their love-struck co-workers would remain like this for as long as possible!

And for a while, it appeared as though everything would be rosy and fine…

But then about a week later, Anger woke up on the wrong side of the bed and it became clear that there was trouble in paradise!

By now, Disgust's toe had completely healed without so much as a scar and she was fully capable of doing things for herself again. But apparently, Disgust had become rather accustomed to Anger's constant pampering and having him standing by for her every whim.

In fact Disgust liked being the center of attention so much, that she had grown somewhat addicted to it! This was the first time in her life that someone had offered to do everything for her, no questions asked! And since she always thanked and complimented her red co-worker so graciously for his generosity, Disgust assumed that he was okay with it.

Unfortunately, Anger began seeing the whole situation very differently. It's true that he adored Disgust and he wanted to make her happy, but at the same time he was starting to feel overwhelmed by her constant demands for attention! Anger felt like he was being suffocated by her neediness and before long, a very familiar feeling was beginning to simmer inside him and Anger knew it was only a matter of time before he lost his cool…

And that's exactly what happened one Sunday morning when Anger went to fix himself some breakfast. The red Emotion was walking past the console, his newspaper in hand when Disgust called out sweetly from the sofa, "Oh Anger darling? Could you please bring me my makeup kit and some chamomile tea?"

In that instant, something snapped inside Anger and he literally saw red as he felt all the pent-up frustration bubbling to the surface.

He turned around and glared at the green Emotion irritably, his head glowing with molten embers as he shouted, "Dis! I didn't sign up to be your personal butler!"

Disgust's eyes widened in surprise and she couldn't help recoiling at his explosive outburst. The other three Emotions all gasped in shock as they stood off to one side, watching the tension escalating with a sense of dread.

Anger took a menacing step towards the green Emotion. He pointed at her right foot and scoffed, "Your foot is perfectly fine, so how about you get your own stuff from now on?!"

Anger looked at her contemplatively before adding with bitterness, "It might do you some good to burn off some of those calories! You're starting to get a little round in the middle from all that lazing around!"

Disgust's hand instinctively clasped her midsection as she stared back at Anger with a mortified expression.

"EXCUSE ME?!" She shrieked indignantly. "Did I hear that correctly?! You called me round in the middle?!"

Her emerald-green eyes flashed with fury as she regarded her red co-worker with scorn. "Who are _YOU_ to talk?! You're round all over?! In fact you remind me of that big round Earth globe that Bill keeps in his study!"

Anger gasped in shock. "You think I'm fat?!"

Disgust snorted, her mouth turned up in a distasteful sneer as she remarked, "Oh please! You look like one of those Umpa Lumpas from Willy Wonka's _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!"_

"Oh! So not only do you think I'm fat, but now you're calling me a short red dwarf as well! Well isn't that nice! After all I've done for you…" Anger balled his fists and looked away from Disgust's critical eyes disbelievingly.

He shook his head and muttered morosely, "You really do know how to pick on an Emotion's insecurities don't you?!"

Disgust grunted and snapped sarcastically, "Oh that's so deep coming from you!"

She pointed at the other Emotions, who were still watching in shocked silence and exclaimed, "Look how you've been treating Fear all these years! The poor guy hasn't even been able to eat and sleep properly! He's a nervous wreck because of you!"

Fear gulped nervously, already a tight knot of anxiety forming in his stomach as he backed away from the quarreling Emotions instinctively.

"Come on guys! Th-this isn't about me…let's all stop fighting now!" He pleaded in a shaky voice.

Before either Anger or Disgust could respond, Joy stepped forward. Her voice was full of authority as she demanded firmly, "I agree with Fear! The two of you need to stop insulting each other right now!"

Her blue eyes softened slightly as she regarded the two Emotions with a hopeful expression. "You two have something special going on here! Why would you want to ruin it now with this silly argument?"

Sadness was sniffling softly beside Joy. She gave a shuddering sob and wailed, "Why do you have to be so nasty to each other?!"

She searched Anger and Disgust's faces soulfully with her sad blue eyes. "You really made me believe that love is possible and now you're both just going to throw it all away? Do you realize how sad that is? It…it's breaking my heart…"

With that, Sadness collapsed onto the floor and broke down in a fit of intense sorrow, her tears beginning to create a puddle around her as she cried dismally.

Disgust and Anger glanced at each other guiltily. They were both feeling ashamed about the way they acted and watching Sadness break down like that hit them both like a dagger to the heart.

 _Love is supposed to make you happy, not bitter and hurtful to those around you!_ Disgust thought remorsefully.

The green Emotion got up from the sofa and went over to Sadness. She knelt down and gently scooped her weeping co-worker into a reassuring hug. "Oh I'm so sorry Sadness! I didn't mean to be so nasty and sarcastic."

Disgust was rubbing Sadness' back reassuringly with one hand, her expression filled with regret as she glanced over at Anger and sighed apologetically. "I guess I just got used to being fussed over and I acted like a bit of a diva…"

Anger looked down at the floor guiltily and mumbled, "And I acted like a foul-tempered, insensitive jerk!"

He forced himself to look up and meet Disgust's eyes as he admitted, "I wasn't thinking clearly and I didn't mean those things I said about Disgust. She's perfect in every way…"

Disgust smiled at him warmly and slowly released Sadness from her embrace.

Anger smiled back at her with undeniable fondness. His amber-colored eyes were pleading at her as he ventured, "Can you find it in your heart to forgive my quick temper Disgust? Or did you have a change of heart following our little heated exchange of words?"

"Oh Anger!" Disgust's eyes were filled with admiration and her smile grew wider as she whispered, "I forgive you if you forgive me! I think we're both prone to saying things before we think them through properly…"

Anger nodded and walked up to her. He threw his short, stubby arms around her and hugged her tight. "I love you so much Disgust. But sometimes I don't deserve you!"

"I love you too Anger! I know I can be a little too demanding sometimes, so I don't blame you for losing your temper with me back then..." Disgust returned his embrace with equal enthusiasm and closed her eyes as she relished having him so near.

The other Emotions looked at each other and breathed deep sighs of relief. That was a close call! But the most important thing is that Anger and Disgust forgave each other and for the time being at least, peace has been restored!

XXX

After having come so close to disaster, it's hardly surprising that Joy, Sadness and Fear allowed themselves to become lulled into a false sense of security as they went about their daily duties for Riley. But that's exactly what it was…false!

For barely two hours had passed since Anger and Disgust's little altercation this morning when the sound of raised voices coming from the kitchen snapped the others out of their blissful thoughts and all three gazed in the direction of the shouting drearily.

Unfortunately the truce between the bickering couple was short-lived and the air inside Headquarters was once again rife with tension...

"Don't you get it?! I mean well!" Disgust shouted with mounting irritation. "You look like some office worker circa 1970s in that bland outfit! All I'm suggesting is that you should overhaul your image a little! You know...try to be a bit trendier!"

The other Emotions exchanged worried looks as a collective feeling of apprehension settled over them. Disgust and Anger were at each other's throats again! Just when they all were starting to believe that everything was going to work out between those two, it appears that more fuel has been thrown on the flames…

"Oh boy…here we go again…" Fear mumbled dejectedly.

Sadness gave a gloomy sigh and even Joy's posture drooped a little as they listened to Anger's irate voice challenging defiantly, "What is wrong with my image?! Are you not satisfied with how I look?!"

Anger's tone increased in intensity as he yelled accusingly, "Am I not good enough for you or something?! Are you ashamed to be seen with me?! Is that what this is about?!"

Disgust gave an impatient growl and exclaimed, "I don't want to fight about it! I'm just trying to give you some helpful fashion tips! Just think about it…if you lose that necktie and we get you dressed in a nice white shirt with a leather jacket, you would look so handsome and ten years younger!"

"Oh so I'm old now am I?!" Anger countered sarcastically. "Well if you want me to be ten years younger, then that would make me what…two?! Maybe you should buy me some diapers while you're at it!"

The other Emotions flinched as the unmistakable sound of a blazing fire filled the air, followed by Anger's furious roar, "I AM ANGER! NOT BENJAMIN BUTTON!"

Everyone held their breaths as they waited for Disgust's equally explosive response to Anger's outburst. But instead, they were quite surprised to hear the sound of their green co-worker's girlish laughter drifting out of the kitchen.

"Oh Anger! You're really cracking me up! We're fighting over nothing again…" She pointed out in between giggles.

Anger gave a bemused snort, his voice taking on a softer tone as he replied apologetically, "We are aren't we? Oh Dis…you and I, we are so alike! That's why I think you are the perfect girl for me!"

Disgust chuckled. Then the others heard her suggest excitedly, "Tell you what…how about we settle this little _disagreement_ with an arm wrestling match?"

"And if you let me win, I'll forgive you…" She added sweetly, her voice soft with affection.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Anger and Disgust are both characters prone to a change of heart and that means their relationship isn't always smooth sailing! As you saw in this chapter, it really doesn't take much to make them go from sweet, to** _ **very**_ **sour and back to sweet again…**

 **But deep down they do love each other and I can promise you that from now on, they will remain in love! There won't be any more serious fighting…maybe just a little squabble or two!**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter and I hope you're all enjoying this fiery romance :)**

 **Also, the title I used for this chapter was another one of the suggestions RoseEmbers99 gave me when she offered possible names for this story and I thought it sounded very fitting for this particular chapter :)**

 **Svinorita.**


	4. The Things We Do For Love

**Chapter 4 – The Things We Do For Love.**

It was a new day in Headquarters and Disgust woke up feeling very excited. She was in the mood for some serious retail therapy today!

After that fiery little squabble between Anger and herself yesterday, Disgust had given their relationship some careful consideration and she finally arrived at the conclusion that the two of them need to spend some time away from each other…at least occasionally!

They had practically been glued to one another for the past week and Disgust realized that she needed to give Anger some space every now and then if she wanted to avoid similar confrontations in the future.

Disgust sighed as she sat down on the edge of her bed and began putting on her favorite shoes. She glanced down at her "formally" injured foot and wiggled her toes experimentally before slipping on her shoe. Even though her foot was perfectly fine by now, she had been pretending that she was still hurt until quite recently because she craved the care and attention she had been receiving from Anger following her D.I.Y mishap!

But since their fight yesterday, Disgust knew that it was time to drop the act. She didn't want Anger to think that their relationship was based on lies! She really did love him and she didn't want him to feel like she had been using him all this time purely to satisfy her desire for attention!

That's why Disgust had concocted a plan to show Anger just how much he means to her. She knew that she would never be able to convince him to go shopping with her on Fashion Island, so she decided that she would go by herself and surprise him by picking out a stylish new outfit for her beloved!

Disgust smiled to herself happily as she finished putting on her shoes. She got up and retrieved her handbag from the closet before pausing in front of her new mirror to make sure her makeup was perfect. Then she headed out her room with a purposeful air about her stride.

She couldn't stop thinking about the funky clothes she was going to buy for Anger! As much as she adored Anger the way he was, there was certainly a lot of room for improvement and Disgust knew just the thing to help make him look a little more visually appealing…

She remembered seeing a gorgeous black leather jacket the last time she went to Fashion Island and she thought it would look perfect on her man!

And while she's there, she would buy him a nice shirt to go with it as well as some lovely dresses for herself! No trip to Fashion Island would be complete without stocking up on some of the hottest new trends…

 _When I'm through with him, Anger is going to look so sexy in his new outfit!_ She thought to herself with a sly smile.

As soon as she reached the main room Disgust found Joy, Sadness and Fear already busy working at the console. There was no sign of Anger yet, so she assumed that he must have overslept this morning.

Disgust walked over to the other three Emotions and greeted them amicably before telling them that if Anger asks about her whereabouts by any chance, to let him know that she went shopping and she would be gone for a few hours.

Joy nodded and responded with an upbeat, "Okeydokey!"

Sadness and Fear just shrugged in disinterest and turned their attentions back to the console as Disgust activated the Recall Tube and stepped inside.

XXX

About half an hour after Disgust left for Fashion Island, Anger emerged from his room with a tool belt strapped around his midsection.

"Hey, is she gone?" The red Emotion whispered as he waddled up to the console to join the others.

Sadness nodded unenthusiastically. "Yes. She went shopping and she wanted us to tell you that she'll be gone for a few hours." She replied in a melancholy voice.

"Oh perfect!" Anger said as a wide grin spread across his face. "That gives me plenty of time to finish the little surprise I have planned for her!"

Joy stroked her chin with one hand as she regarded the red Emotion thoughtfully. "I hope whatever it is, it's something nice…you know how fussy she can be!"

Anger rubbed his hands together and chuckled excitedly. "Oh trust me! I think she's gonna love this! I've made this nice little wooden shelf especially for her, and I intend to hang next to her new mirror so she can keep all her cosmetics and lotions close by when she gets up every morning!"

Sadness nodded in agreement as she listened to Anger's explanation. "You're right Anger. I bet Disgust will love that."

The blue Emotion looked down at the floor and gave a gloomy sigh as she added, "You were a bit nasty to her yesterday, so I think you should do something nice to make it up to her…"

"Oh, but Disgust certainly gave as good as she got!" Joy chuckled, giving Sadness a friendly fist bump on the arm.

Fear was wringing his hands together nervously as he regarded Anger with thoughtfulness.

Finally he stepped forward and offered with a half-hearted shrug, "If you need any help putting that shelf up Anger, let me know…"

Anger rolled his eyes and mumbled sarcastically, "That will be the day…when I actually need _your_ help Beanpole!"

With that, Anger turned and marched off in the direction of Disgust's room. The other three Emotions watched his departing back until he disappeared around the corner before letting out a collective sigh of relief. It appears that everything was working out just fine between Anger and Disgust today and all of them could carry on with their work in peace!

XXX

Unfortunately, the peace turned out to be very short-lived…

Soon the sound of loud hammering, interspersed with the occasional swear word was ringing throughout Headquarters as Anger set about installing his little "surprise" for Disgust.

Joy, Sadness and Fear gazed in the direction of the ruckus warily. They all appreciated that Anger was really trying to go out of his way to impress Disgust and everyone was grateful that the romance between their two co-workers seemed to be thriving…

But why is that everything those two did for each other had to be so loud?! Couldn't Anger have just given Disgust some flowers and treated her to a nice romantic dinner instead of turning Headquarters into a noisy construction site?!

Suddenly, a tremendous **BANG** reverberated down the hall followed by a sharp cry of pain from Anger. Joy, Sadness and Fear looked at one another quizzically as an eerie silence ominously replaced the din that had echoed throughout Headquarters moments earlier…

Sadness sniffled and gave a shuddering gasp as she wondered out loud, "I'm happy with the way I look…trying to look beautiful sounds very painful!"

Joy and Fear exchanged a brief worried look before simultaneously running off towards Disgust's room to investigate what had happened. Sadness sighed dismally and waddled after the other two Emotions half-heartedly.

The three of them reached Disgust's room and pushed open the door to discover Anger lying on the floor with a dazed look on his face. The shelf he had been trying to put up, was hanging crookedly by one end next to the mirror and there was a wooden chair knocked over on its side next to the red Emotion.

As they came closer to their fallen co-worker, they noticed a rather nasty gash on the back of his head that was bleeding steadily. Anger didn't appear to notice his shocked co-workers as they gathered around him in a half circle…he was too busy writhing in pain and clutching his left shoulder with his right hand.

There was a very pronounced dent clearly visible in the bedpost closest to him...

Joy knelt down beside her injured co-worker, her blue eyes wide with panic. "Anger! What happened in here?! Are you alright?!" She exclaimed worriedly.

Anger groaned in pain and nodded towards the lopsided shelf as he grumbled, "Stupid shelf! Stupid chair! Stupid Anger! I'm too darn short! I should have used a ladder but instead I ended up falling off that chair!"

The red Emotion winced as he rubbed his left shoulder gingerly. "I think I hit my shoulder on the bedpost…its killing me!"

Sadness began sobbing quietly as she reached out and touched Anger's hand. "Oh poor Anger! You must have hit your head hard against the floor…you're bleeding!"

"I-I am?" Anger asked in confusion. He reached over with his right hand and touched the back of his head cautiously.

Surely enough, he saw that his fingers were stained with blood and he gave a woozy moan. "I guess that explains why I feel a little dazed…"

Fear was watching his red co-worker with pity. "I told you to call me if you needed help hanging that shelf Anger!"

"Call you for help?! You would be nothing but a hindrance to me Beanpole!" Anger snapped irritably.

Fear looked understandably hurt by Anger's harsh accusations. But before he could come up with a suitable response, he was interrupted by Joy's hand touching his forearm.

"Fear, maybe you could be helpful right now…" Joy took a deep breath and suggested calmly, "Could you run down to the Mind World Clinic and see if Nurse Betty is available? We'll need a trained professional to assess Anger's injuries."

"I can go…" Sadness volunteered gloomily.

Joy tried to give her blue co-worker an encouraging smile as she insisted gently, "No Sadness. I need you to stay here and help me keep an eye on Anger until medical assistance arrives."

She nodded at Fear and pointed out helpfully, "Fear is the fastest out of all of us! He'll be back with help sooner than if either you or I went."

Sadness sighed and nodded in understanding. "You're right I guess…"

"Don't worry Joy. Running fast is what I do best! I'll be back in no time!" Fear promised as he turned and hurried out the room towards the Recall Tube.

Joy watched him leave with a relieved smile.

Then she glanced at Sadness apologetically as she thought, _"If Sadness went at her slow pace, anyone in need of medical attention would die and decompose by the time help arrived!"_

XXX

Meanwhile, Disgust was having a blast on Fashion Island! She managed to find a lovely white cotton shirt to go with Anger's new black leather jacket. She even picked up a red bandana that she intended to put around his neck for some extra flair!

All she could think about was how cool and handsome her man was going to look in these stylish new threads as she arrived back at Headquarters on a high.

But she was very surprised to find a somber mood waiting to greet her upon her return. Joy was looking unusually serious as she worked at the console and guided Riley through History class.

Fear was pacing around the room with a cup of tea in his hand, but he seemed too anxious to drink it at the moment.

Sadness appeared to be even more miserable than usual. She was lying facedown on the floor near the Mind Manuals, a small puddle of tears visible around her inert form. Her face was completely obscured by her blue hair and the only signs of life coming from her was the steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

And most worryingly of all, Anger was still nowhere to be seen in the room…

Disgust approached the others hesitantly, a concerned expression on her face as she ventured nervously, "Hey guys? Why are you all looking so serious? Did something happen to Riley while I was out?"

Sadness lifted her head from the floor and uttered in a shaky voice, "A-Anger got hurt!"

"WHAT?!" Disgust exclaimed, dropping her shopping bags in disbelief.

She glanced around the room frantically, her voice rising in panic as she demanded, "Is he alright?! Where is he now?!"

Before anyone could answer, Disgust took off and sprinted up to Anger's room, her heart pounding fast with worry for him. She flung open the door to his room and found him propped up in bed. He slowly turned to look at her and Disgust saw that his head was wrapped in a bandage while his left arm was resting in a sling across his chest.

Disgust ran over to him with tears in her eyes. "Oh my darling! Are you okay?! What happened to you?!" She sobbed hysterically, throwing her arms around him and hugging him protectively.

Anger grunted in discomfort as she accidentally pressed his injured shoulder with her palm.

"I'm not too bad now…I was given some strong painkillers that made me feel quite happy actually!" He assured her half-jokingly.

He gave a lighthearted chuckle and squeezed her hand in reassurance. "Apparently, I cracked my head open and dislocated my shoulder…but apart from that, I've never felt better!"

Disgust was staring at him with her mouth open in shock. "But how could that have happened?!"

Suddenly she narrowed her eye at the red Emotion in scrutiny and punched him softly on his good shoulder. "I left you alone for only a few hours and you went ahead and did something dangerous!"

Anger chuckled sheepishly and corrected, "Actually it wasn't that dangerous…I got injured through my own reckless stupidity!"

He patted her hand affectionately, his amber-colored eyes full of admiration as he confessed, "I just wanted to surprise you by putting up a handy storage shelf next to your mirror for all your cosmetics."

"But I guess I'm too short!" He mumbled in frustration. "I should have used a stepladder instead of a wobbly chair…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Disgust leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. Anger stared at her in bewilderment as she slowly pulled away and whispered sweetly, "Oh my big, little man! You really need to stop spoiling me!"

As she spoke, Disgust caressed his bandaged head fondly. Her emerald-green eyes were filled with concern as she said, "The last thing I want to see is you getting yourself hurt just to impress me!"

Anger was speechless as he gazed into her captivating eyes adoringly. Disgust gave him a sweet smile and kissed his cheek affectionately.

The other three Emotions were watching the touching moment from the doorway. Disgust glanced up at them and a big smile of gratitude formed on her face as her gaze settled on Fear.

"I guess I have Fear to thank for patching you up?" She speculated softly.

Before Fear could answer, Sadness stepped forward and explained naively, "Actually it was a Mind Worker nurse that did it. Joy wanted a professional to look after Anger, since Fear only knows some basic first aid and he's not a doctor…"

"Yeah! I had the nurse give Anger a careful check over and she assured us that he'll be fine after a few days." Joy affirmed with a pleased smile.

"Did she now…?" Disgust asked with a note of bitterness creeping into her voice. The green Emotion turned her attention back to Anger and ventured suspiciously, "And this nurse…was she young and pretty by any chance?"

Anger gave an exaggerated snort and replied, "Not at all! I may have been a little dazed at the time, but I seem to recall that she was old, very wrinkly and had gray hair…"

"Oh no! There must be something wrong with my eyes!" Sadness exclaimed in genuine concern. "My glasses are not good anymore because to me, that nurse looked young and pretty even if she was a Mind Worker!"

Sadness started to sob as she stuttered, "I-I guess I can't see well…!"

She turned and ran to her room with her face buried in her hands as Joy and Fear exchanged anxious looks.

Disgust's brow furrowed in a deep frown. "Anger…" She glared down at her red co-worker and growled through clenched teeth, "How come I get the feeling that Sadness' recollection about that nurse is more accurate than yours?!"

She grabbed his necktie in one hand and gave it a firm tug as she prompted, "Was the nurse pretty or not? And don't you dare lie to me!"

Anger coughed and spluttered as she choked him with his own tie. His eyes betrayed his guilt as he wheezed, "Well…I suppose she may have been a little on the attractive side…"

He felt Disgust's grip on his necktie tighten ever so slightly. He gasped and insisted innocently, "But then I was in a lot of pain and under strong medication…so I can't say for sure!"

To his intense relief, Disgust finally loosened her grip on his tie. Her eyes were softly teasing as she said, "Well from now on, I'm going to be the only nurse looking after you Mister!"

A smile of fondness appeared on her face. "You looked after me so well while I was injured, so now it's time for me to return the favor!"

With that, Disgust got up and gently fluffed the pillows behind Anger's back. He watched her every move with pure adoration, his discomfort temporarily forgotten as he decided to make the most out of all the attention she promised to give him.

 _Oh yes! I can get used to this..._ Anger thought with a content smile on his face.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Well it looks like the shoe is on the other foot now! It's time for Disgust to look after Anger for a change and I'm sure she'll be one excellent nurse…**

 **See what happens when those two try to surprise each other with special gifts? It just goes to show that sometimes people (and Emotions too!) will do all sorts of crazy things for love :)**

 **I want to say thank you to everyone who has been reading and enjoying this story so far! I also want to send out a very warm thank you to** _ **RoseEmbers99, Orangebird124**_ **and** _ **Tripledent**_ **for those awesome reviews throughout the story :)**

 **That's all for now! Stay tuned for the next and final chapter as the Brickoli romance reaches its explosive (but heartwarming) climax!**

 **Svinorita.**


	5. Bubble Made For Two

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **We've come to the end of this rollercoaster Brickoli love story! Sure, Anger and Disgust's relationship was a bit rocky at times but deep down they couldn't deny their true feelings for one another. Now Anger has a little surprise for Disgust at the end of the story and I believe this is the perfect way to finish what has been one eventful (and at times painful) love story!**

 **Thank you to everyone who has been reading and enjoying this story and as always at the end of my stories, I will like to thank all those who reviewed with a short personal note:**

 _ **RoseEmbers99**_ **– Thank you for asking me to write this request for you my friend! I tried my best to make it nice for you and hopefully you enjoyed what I managed to put together in the end! Also thank you for supplying me with the title of this story and as well as the titles for chapters two and three :)**

 _ **Orangebird124**_ **– Thank you so much for those wonderful reviews you left throughout the story my friend! Your feedback is always greatly appreciated and I am thankful for the time and effort you put into reading and reviewing this story :)**

 _ **Tripledent**_ **– Thank you for your thoughtful reviews and support my friend! Your feedback always makes me feel good about my work and words cannot express how grateful I am for that :)**

 **In addition to the reviewers, I'd also like to thank** _ **Mangle6**_ **and** _ **RosesWilt**_ **for adding this story to your favorites/follows lists :)**

 **And finally, thank you to all the silent readers around the world for coming on this turbulent Brickoli journey with me :)**

 **Here's the final chapter and I hope you all enjoy!**

 **Svinorita.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – Bubble Made For Two.**

It took a week for Anger's injured shoulder to fully heal. Nurse Disgust kept her word and looked after him with such tenderness and devotion, that Anger was actually beginning to feel a little smothered by her constant attention!

Not that he complained about it in front of her or the other Emotions! He wasn't used to having such a beautiful Emotion fussing over him and deep down, he couldn't help feeling a little guilty for losing his temper and snapping at her back when she was injured…

So a week later when the time came to remove Anger's bandages and sling, Disgust still insisted on giving him a gentle shoulder massage every day. Anger allowed her to continue looking after him even though he felt strong enough to resume his usual activities. He couldn't deny the fact that he relished spending every minute with her and he still found it incredible that she felt the same way about him!

But there was no longer any doubt in Anger's mind that Disgust loved him as much as he loved her. Everything from the way she smiled at him fondly whenever she spoke to him, to the way she kept kissing the barely visible scar on the back of his head was proof of just how strong her feelings for him had become over these past few weeks.

And throughout the whole time Disgust was taking care of him, Anger kept thinking about that shelf he made for her as a gift…

As soon as he declared himself fit and fully recovered, Anger announced that he intended to finish what he had started and hang that shelf for Disgust properly (since it was still hanging precariously by one end ever since his unfortunate accident that day.)

But Disgust adamantly forbid it! Instead she convinced Fear to finish the job since he's the tallest and the purple Emotion gladly agreed to help. Anger was forced to watch from the sidelines as Fear and Disgust went about installing the shelf together while his "job" was simply to let them know whether the shelf appeared crooked as they were positioning it next to Disgust's mirror.

Anger was clearly unimpressed with his designated role as "supervisor" but Disgust made it up to him by allowing him to help her stock up her new shelf with all her lotions and cosmetics. Once the shelf was properly installed and furnished, Fear gave the two Emotions some privacy while he went down to the kitchen to make himself a much-needed cup of tea.

Anger and Disgust stood side by side and admired their handiwork together. Disgust wrapped her red co-worker in a big hug and kissed his cheek affectionately. "Thank you my love! I really appreciate everything you tried to do for me!" She said with a gracious smile.

Anger felt his cheeks blushing, but he managed to keep his expression stoic as he rumbled indignantly, "Yeah, yeah I get it! You pity the fool!"

He shrugged off her hand gently and reminded her in a slightly edgy tone, "I managed to hang one side by myself and in the process I cracked my head open and put my shoulder out of alignment!"

He heard Disgust chuckle softly as she leaned in and gave him another peck on the cheek fondly. "Oh you silly little strawberry marshmallow! I could just eat you because that's how sweet you are!"

Anger looked at her with a baffled expression. Disgust smiled and batted her eyelashes at him flirtatiously. "It's the thought that counts! And just knowing that you would do anything for me and even suffer in the process, makes me feel so special!"

Anger grinned sheepishly and took her hand in his before raising it to his lips and kissing it gently. "Oh my gorgeous love! You're absolutely right! I would do anything to make you happy!"

"Anything? Anytime…?" Disgust asked with a softly teasing look in her dazzling green eyes.

"That's right! Anything! Anytime!" Anger assured with a confident nod.

"Oh! Okay! How about we put that to the test then?" Disgust ventured with a sly smile.

"Ah…okay…?" Anger suddenly looked a little unsure as he stared at her pretty face apprehensively.

Disgust's smile grew broader. She put her hands on her hips and suggested eagerly, "How would you like to try out that new jacket and shirt I bought for you last week?"

"Geez…do I have to?" Anger mumbled reluctantly. He saw a brief look of disappointment flash across Disgust's face and instantly he felt a pang of guilt stab at his chest.

The red Emotion rubbed the back of his head and avoided making eye-contact with his love interest as he stuttered hesitantly, "Don't get me wrong! I really like the clothes you picked out for me! It's just that I wouldn't want them to get dirty…"

"I would prefer to save them for special occasions! That's all…" Anger insisted with a nervous laugh.

Disgust leaned forward and gazed into his amber-colored eyes deeply. Her voice sounded gentle and reassuring as she said, "But that's just it darling! I have a _very_ special occasion in mind!"

Anger found himself unable to look away from her captivating eyes as Disgust explained excitedly, "I heard that the inhabitants of the Mind World are organizing a special ice dance on Hockey Island tonight and I really want to go!"

Disgust gripped Anger's stubby arms firmly. "Both of us have been injured and idle these past few weeks and we could do with some exercise! Besides, I want to show everyone how handsome my man is in his trendy new outfit!"

Anger was lost for words as he struggled to comprehend just what she was asking of him. But Disgust knew how to use her charm to its maximum advantage…

She gave him her sweetest smile and batted her long eyelashes at him irresistibly. "Please say yes Anger! It would mean an awful lot to me if you do…"

Anger made a choking sound in the back of his throat and averted his eyes to the floor shamefully as he admitted, "But I can't dance! Especially not on ice! I've got two left feet and…"

Before he could finish what he was saying, Disgust pressed a finger against his lips. Her voice was soothing and full of encouragement as she whispered, "Come now! We both know that isn't true! I know you can skate and you definitely have moves!"

Disgust smiled at the red Emotion admirably and slowly took her finger away from his lips. "I saw you playing ice hockey with a bunch of Mind Workers a couple of months ago and you were very good on the ice!"

Anger looked surprised by this little confession. "You watched me playing ice hockey before?!"

Disgust nodded. "Yes. You could say that I've had my eye on you for quite a while now…" She replied casually.

"Oh…" Anger felt himself blushing again and he looked away from her face sheepishly. Finally he gave a defeated sigh and mumbled without looking up, "But I'm probably a little bit rusty on the ice by now…"

"No you're not!" Disgust insisted gently. She touched the side of Anger's face with one hand and slowly turned his head so that he was looking up at her again before stating, "You know what they say: you can't teach an old dog new tricks! Don't try to give me that _I forgot how to skate_ excuse Mister!"

Disgust gave Anger an irresistible smile and crooned, "I don't want to hear that. What I want to hear you say is: _Disgust my love, I want to go to the dance with you!"_

Joy happened to be passing by in the hall at that very moment and since the door to Disgust's room was open, she didn't bother to knock as she barged in with a massive smile on her face.

"Oh that's sounds romantic! You guys are going to the ice dance too?!" Joy announced chirpily as she walked up to the other two Emotions.

Anger and Disgust both stared at their yellow co-worker with open-mouthed surprise.

Disgust was the first to recover her wits though. She nodded eagerly at Joy, her green eyes filled with longing as she said, "Well I'm trying my best to convince this handsome but stubborn hot-head here!"

She elbowed Anger in the ribs and he glanced up at her with a frown of disapproval.

But before he could answer, Joy gave a cheerful laugh and insisted enthusiastically, "Anger! You absolutely have to come! Not only for the dancing, but because I want both you and Disgust to witness my musical debut!"

Both Anger and Disgust looked a little confused at this announcement. So Joy filled them in on what was going on excitedly. "You see, the band in charge of providing the music for the dance asked me to fill in for their accordion player because apparently his wife is expecting a baby anytime!"

Joy's eyes took on a distant dreamy look as she wondered out loud, "Maybe they'll even let me sing a song or two during the evening?!"

She shook her head and turned her attention back to Anger and Disgust. "So you see guys? You have to come!"

"Hang on! What about Riley? Who's going to be keeping an eye on her in the meantime?" Anger pointed out worriedly.

Joy laughed and waved off her red co-worker's concern lightly. "Oh don't worry about that! Surely we can leave Sadness and Fear in charge of Riley for one night?!"

The yellow Emotion skipped up behind Disgust and Anger and threw an arm around both of their shoulders. She leaned her face close to theirs and said, "This is my big moment and you two look so good together! Why, you could practically be the King and Queen of the dance!"

Disgust appeared to like the sound of that and she smiled at Joy before turning to Anger with a hopeful expression. Anger on the other hand, was feeling understandably overwhelmed. Wherever he looked; left or right, he was met with fluttering eyes and long eyelashes being batted at him tantalizingly.

Finally the red Emotion relented. He gave a deep sigh and grumbled half-heartedly, "Oh alright then! I guess I'll go…"

Disgust gave a little squeal of delight and kissed him gratefully on the face. "Thank you my sweet, generous little man!"

Joy chuckled happily and declared with zeal, "Okeydokey! That's what I'm talking about! We have a few hours to get ready, so let's get to it!"

With that, Joy skipped out of the room merrily, leaving Anger and Disgust to start making their own preparations for tonight's dance.

Anger sat down on the edge of Disgust's bed and watched her admiringly as she started applying her makeup. He was lost in her captivating beauty and he wasn't sure how long he sat there staring at her. It could have been twenty minutes or two hours…but Anger didn't mind!

He watched her going about her task with grace and elegance, sighing dreamily every time she reached for her foundation palette or mascara.

After Disgust finished putting on some lilac eyeshadow, she turned to face Anger and flashed him a dazzling smile. "Anger my love, this shelf you made for me makes my life so much easier! Now I can have all my makeup neatly stored and ready to use whenever I need a touchup instead of digging through my drawers and makeup bag like I had to before!"

"I really don't know how to thank you enough!" Disgust said, gazing into his face with fondness.

Anger just continued staring at her as though she were a goddess and it took a few seconds for his love-struck brain to register what she had been saying.

"What? I must have been lost in my thoughts…" The red Emotion shook his head in wonder.

His voice was filled with awe as he uttered admirably, "I am so lucky to have such a beautiful Emotion as my girl!"

"Aw, Anger you charmer!" Disgust laughed appreciatively.

She scooped him into a hug and kissed his face lovingly. "You really know how to flatter me!"

The two Emotions stayed in each other's embrace for a few minutes until Disgust gently released Anger and told him to wait while she picked out her dress for tonight's dance. Anger was more than happy to comply and he waited patiently as Disgust disappeared into her walk-in closet and tried to find the perfect dress for this very special occasion.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally reemerged wearing a gorgeous sparkly green and white gown. Anger was utterly spellbound by how breathtakingly beautiful Disgust looked in that dress! To Anger, Disgust looked like a princess that had stepped right out of the pages of a fairytale! The sparkles in her dress glittered like diamonds in the soft ambient light of her room and her shiny green hair flowed like emerald waves as she walked towards him with the most captivating smile on her face he ever saw.

"Well? How do I look?" Disgust asked cheerfully. She stopped in front of her red co-worker and turned in a slow circle so he could admire her dress from every angle.

"Um…ah…wow…" Anger struggled to formulate words to express his awe. All he could do was gape at her with his mouth hanging open in amazement as she took his hand in hers and gently coaxed him to his feet.

"Good! I take it that you like my dress?" Disgust offered with a gracious laugh.

She started to pull Anger towards the door and added encouragingly, "Come on lover boy! Let's get you dressed in your new outfit because I'm dying to see how handsome you'll look!"

Anger didn't protest as he allowed her to drag him to his own room and present him with the clothes she bought for him on Fashion Island. Disgust stood by and waited excitedly as Anger changed out of his usual outfit and put on his new white shirt with apprehension. He swapped his favorite dark brown trousers for a pair of black ones he owned but hardly ever wore. Then he took off his necktie and started slipping on his new black leather jacket while Disgust carefully fixed the red bandana around his stout neck.

Within minutes, Anger was fully outfitted in his new clothes and Disgust stared at him with a massive smile of approval. "Wow and then some! If I wasn't in love with you already, I'd be head over heels right now! You look stunning Anger!"

Disgust held up a small handheld mirror and Anger looked at his reflection nervously. He gave a gasp of surprise as he caught sight of himself in the mirror's shiny surface and he couldn't help feeling a surge of pride flow through his chest. Despite his initial reservations about his new outfit, Anger had to admit that he thought he didn't look so bad after all! In fact, he even looked a little younger and softer…but still in a rebel kind of way!

Disgust giggled softly as Anger glanced up at her with a proud smile.

"Oh Anger! You definitely look less flammable than usual!" She commented with a slightly teasing glint in her eyes.

Anger gave an amused snort and nodded in agreement. "I have to admit, you're right about that my love!"

A few minutes later, Anger and Disgust walked into the main room hand-in-hand. Anger looked as proud and regal as a peacock in his leather jacket and bandana, whilst Disgust glittered and shone in her green and white gown like a forest spirit from a magical fairytale land.

Joy was already waiting for them by the Recall Tube with her accordion in hand. She smiled in admiration as soon as she saw her two companions.

"Come on you guys! We don't want to be late!" She exclaimed eagerly.

Joy pressed the Recall button on the floor with her foot and stepped inside the tube as it descended from the ceiling with a whoop of delight. Anger and Disgust exchanged a brief glance of understanding before following their cheerful yellow co-worker into the tube and getting sucked out of Headquarters.

Fear and Sadness watched as the others were leaving from beside the console. As soon as all three Emotions had exited Headquarters, they turned to each other and high-fived.

"Peace and quiet at last!" Sadness sighed with relief.

She eased herself onto the sofa and made herself comfortable as Fear agreed with a chuckle, "You said it! I think this calls for a nice relaxing cup of tea!"

The purple Emotion turned and started making his way to the kitchen before pausing and adding over his shoulder, "Would you like me to make a cup of tea for you as well Sadness?"

"Sure! Thank you Fear…" Sadness replied quietly. She turned her attention to the monitor and waited to see what kind of dreams Riley would be having tonight.

XXX

The three Emotions arrived on Hockey Island a short time later. Joy told Anger and Disgust that she needed to go catch up with the Mind band and practice before the dance started. She left them at the edge of the ice rink and since they still had a little time before the dance got underway, Anger and Disgust decided to check out the competition while they waited.

They stood side-by-side and surveyed all the Mind Worker couples that had flocked here tonight for the ice dance.

At one point, Disgust leaned in close to Anger and whispered smugly, "Anger, I don't mean to brag or anything, but I think we're the best-looking couple here!"

When he didn't answer straight away, Disgust prodded him in the ribs with her elbow and added warningly, "And you'd better not think about checking out some of those pretty Mind Worker girls! I'll be keeping a very close eye on you and if I catch you being naughty, you'll be in the doghouse buddy!"

Anger glanced up at her apprehensively. Disgust's expression softened slightly as she drew him into a loving embrace and whispered teasingly, "Let me show you what you've been missing!"

She closed her eyes and kissed him passionately on the lips. Anger returned the gesture with pleasure and the two of them held the kiss for a full two minutes before finally coming up for breath.

After a while, they decided to go look for Joy and they walked onto the raised viewing platform that served as a makeshift stage for tonight. They found their yellow co-worker standing near the back of the platform, warming up her fingers for the lengthy accordion intro she would be performing at the very beginning of the dance before the rest of the Mind band played their parts.

Joy smiled as she saw her two co-workers approaching her and waved to them excitedly. But as they got closer, her expression turned into a look of shock.

"Guys! Do you really want to go out on the ice looking like that?!" Joy uttered in a hushed voice as Anger and Disgust came to a stop in front of her.

"What do you mean? Looking like what?" Disgust snapped irritably. "I thought you said we looked nice!"

Joy shrugged innocently. "Yeah I did…but Disgust? Your lipstick is all smudged!" She pointed out hesitantly.

Disgust's eyes went wide in surprise and she automatically raised a hand to her lips as Joy turned her attention to Anger.

"And half of it has ended up on Anger's face for some reason!" Joy observed curiously.

Anger blinked in confusion at this announcement. But his puzzlement was very short-lived and moments later, a sly smile crept across his face as he realized what must have happened. He and Disgust exchanged a brief knowing look and the green Emotion looped her arm around his shoulders as she countered proudly, "And so what? Maybe we _should_ go out there like this! That way everyone will know that this is my man and they can look but not touch!"

She squeezed Anger's shoulder fondly. "We love each other so much and I want everyone to know that!" She declared in a loud, confident voice.

Anger nodded in agreement. "Disgust my love, I couldn't have said it better myself!"

He took her by the hand and led her back towards the ice rink with a proud smile on his face. "Come. Why don't we show them all how we dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Disgust replied happily.

The two Emotions held hands and skated right into the middle of the rink. They wanted the whole Mind World to see that they were in love and proud of it!

XXX

The dance turned out to be a huge success for everybody involved! Joy fit in perfectly with the Mind band and throughout the night, they played everything from country songs (that incited some eventful "line skating") to slow love ballads.

All the couples seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely and about halfway through the evening, the band decided that it was time to take a short break. Joy waited until the other musicians left the stage before waving to Anger and mouthing the words "You're on!"

Anger took Disgust by the hand and led her towards the raised platform with him.

They walked onto the platform overlooking the skating rink together as Joy took a microphone off a nearby stand and announced loudly enough for everyone to hear, "Folks, before we all take a break, my friend Anger has something he wants to say and he would like all of you to be his witnesses!"

She turned to Anger and gave him an encouraging wink.

Anger grunted nervously and dropped down onto one knee. He took Disgust's hand in his and pulled out a little box from his trouser pocket with his free hand.

Joy shoved the microphone into his face as the watching Mind Workers below held their breaths in anticipation.

Anger cleared his throat and said with as much composure as he could, "Disgust, my one and only love. We've known each other all our lives and it wasn't until very recently that I realized just how much you really mean to me! Without you, I'm nothing! You complete me…"

Disgust stared down at Anger with a mixture of surprise and admiration. She felt her pulse beginning to quicken as Anger took a deep breath and went on calmly, "Even though this may all be moving too fast for you, I know now and forever that I want to spend the rest of my life with you!"

He looked straight into her gorgeous emerald-green eyes and smiled sheepishly as he ventured, "Would you please do me the honor and marry me?"

Before she could answer, Anger added thoughtfully, "I know you're probably feeling a little shocked right now, so we can have a really long engagement before you make your decision!"

He opened the little box and revealed a beautiful engagement ring. It was ruby red and in the shape of a heart, encircled with six delicate sparkling diamonds.

"I just want to know that you'll be mine forever…" Anger said hopefully.

Disgust stared at the ring in amazement, tears silently rolling down her face as the enormity of what was happening to her sank in.

Anger sighed and nodded bleakly. "If you can't say it right now, just nod…"

The next thing he knew, Disgust knelt down and threw her arms around his neck. She kissed his face repeatedly as she cried tears of joy and whispered, "Yes! Of course I will Anger!"

"What was that? Some of those Mind Workers in the back of the crowd couldn't hear you…" Joy said into the microphone loudly.

Disgust snatched the microphone out of Joy's hand and yelled as loudly as she could, "YES! YES! YES! I WILL!"

The watching crowd of Mind Workers erupted in a chorus of deafening cheers and applause.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Joy shouted over the noise and fist pumped the air in celebration.

But Anger and Disgust didn't hear or see anything. They were gazing into each other's eyes and for the moment at least, they were lost in this wonderful bubble made for two.

 **THE END.**


End file.
